80% of UK retailers forecast online sales growth in 2026 as AI reshapes the shopping journey

The Ecommerce Delivery Benchmark Report 2026 from Metapack and Retail Economics is the clearest picture yet of where UK retail digital transformation stands. Eight thousand consumers and 400 retailers surveyed. Eighty percent of UK retailers forecast online sales growth in 2026 — but the number that matters most for mid-market manufacturers and retailers is this: only 17% of European retailers currently have AI embedded across multiple business functions, compared to 28% in North America. That gap is not theoretical. UK retailers citing AI adoption as their biggest challenge are predominantly those under £100m turnover — exactly the businesses Right Partners works with. The organisations that close this gap in 2026 will have a structural commercial advantage that compounds. Those that treat AI adoption as a future priority are already behind.